Bloomberg Backtracks On Possibility Of New MLS Club Playing At Yankee Stadium

There has been no significant progress in finding a permanent home for NYC FC

After N.Y. Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Sunday "appeared to indicate in his weekly radio address" that MLS New York City FC would play home games at Yankee Stadium, the mayor's office issued a correction yesterday indicating that Bloomberg "was mistaken," according to Sam Borden of the N.Y. TIMES. Deputy Press Secretary Julie Wood said, "The script for the mayor’s radio address on Sunday overstated the possibility that the New York Football Club could play some games at Yankee Stadium while they search for a permanent home. No decision has been made on where they will play." Yankees and MLS officials confirmed that "no significant progress had been made on determining a permanent home" for the team. Yankees Managing General Partner & co-Chair Hal Steinbrenner has said that the team "would be open to having New York City FC play some games at Yankee Stadium on a temporary basis while a permanent stadium is being built." Plans to build a soccer stadium in Flushing Meadows "now look unlikely," and a site near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx "has been seen as another potential option" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/16).

CANARIES IN A COAL MINE? In Sacramento, Marcos Breton notes a Thursday night exhibition match at Raley Field featuring EPL club Norwich City "will be a first" and "could be a milestone in the ultimate goal of bringing" an MLS team to the city. It is "an idea whose time has come." MLS in many ways is "the perfect sports league for Sacramento." The city has "perfect weather for soccer, large immigrant communities and thriving youth leagues in the city and suburbs." Entrepreneur and USL Pro team Owner Warren Smith "hopes a big crowd at Raley Field will begin to make the case that Sacramento has passion for soccer" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 7/16).